Food In Japan - Part Three: Spicing

(or An Ode to Wasabi)

I love sashimi. The soft, fleshy lure of fish accompanied by the sweet bite of wasabi. But wasabi’s not just used for fish things like sushi or sashimi.

As a baker, I usually favor the sweet spices (such as cinnamon, cardamom, and nutmeg) but I have to say that wasabi may be one of my favorite spices. There are so many types of wasabi—and none of them taste like the green paste that accompanies grocery store sushi. Wasabi, real wasabi, is a form of horseradish, and boy, oh boy, will it knock your nose sensors off kilter if you manage to eat it the wrong way.

There’s a wrong way for wasabi, you ask, barely managing to make the tongue-twister. Yes, I reply, there is. Depending on what part of the mouth tastes it first, you can have a mild tingle of "mmmmmm, that hits the spot" or an explosion of "WHOAMAGAWD, evacuate the nostrils!" I still haven't figured out yet which parts equal on the scale, so it's always an experiment when I eat. :)

Which is why I add it to my soy sauce...the salty flavor somewhat balances it out. And look at that pearly shine on the fish! Mmmm-mmm-mmm!

 Japan really enjoys its wasabi, and has managed to make it available in all sorts of forms. I have found it in everything from mustard to mayonnaise. It's not always a welcomed surprise at first, but it's always makes whatever I'm eating taste better.

Another spicing flavor that comes to mind when I think of Japan is freshly grated ginger. Just the hint of the scent in the kitchen can send my mouth watering.

(also, I'm updating the blog's format so it's more picture-oriented. Pay no mind to the woman behind the curtain!)

First Week

The first week is always the hardest—not to mention disorganized and wearying as you try to adjust from your lavish winter break schedule to your new school schedule with 9am classes. I admit, right now it’s looking pretty nice. I’m in Advanced Sumi-e, Japanese classes that will actually challenge me, and a Survey of Japanese Art. I’m also considering taking a class on Pacific relations, but am still unsure.

I swear sometime this month or next month I will do another installment on the wonder of the Japanese bathroom. There is nothing, and I mean nothing, more luxurious than the Japanese ofuro (bathtub) which is, as I have said before, designed for soaking. There is an added bonus of the fact that it heats you up when you’re living in a household with no central heating. Don’t worry—I’m not sleeping in the bathtub, though sometimes I feel like drifting off.

Anyways, my family is pretty cool—more on them later. I’d write more, but I have yet another test on Monday (and on my worst subject—kanji), and so I’m off to sleep and study~!

Food In Japan - Part Two: Soup for Breakfast

Japan’s traditional foods are centered on the fact that Japan is an island nation—thus the portions are small and fish is used a lot. Okay, I’m not all that sure if the small portions are because there were limited resources before mass food importation or something else. But I’m going to stick with what I can glean from observation and my intuition.

The traditional Japanese breakfast is miso soup, rice, and grilled fish. While I did get the experience to try grilled fish (it was bitter and not at all to my liking), most of my breakfasts consisted of a bowl of rice, some sort of miso soup (with yummy things added to it!) and some sort of omlette/pickled thing.

Close up of the ever-changing breakfast ensemble. The mini omelets have crab in them, the brown things are some sort of sweet vegetable pickle, and that dumpling is shui mai

Living in Japan in a Japanese household has really taught me a lot about going beyond your comfort zone.  Except for the fish omelets, the cheese, hot sauce, mushroom, ham, pepper toast, and the riceball filled with itty bitty fish that STARE INTO YOUR SOUL, I have eaten everything my Okaasan put in front of my plate. Sometimes it was not the exact flavor that made my tastebuds sing and sometimes I stared at it, trying to figure out what it was and how to eat it, but I feel that I have expanded my horizons as someone who eats stuff. :D

And now I’m craving soup for breakfast…

Update~!

So I'm guessing you're all on tenterhooks to hear about my new family (or I could just be the very opposite of humble...let's think for a moment... ;P)

And I admit--it's because I'm living in the tub. The Japanese ofuro may have been the best thing to ever happen to me. It's temperature regulated, designed for soaking, and has a drain if water spills over the edge. I could fall asleep in it (and drown happy!)!

So, yes, it's only day one, and I really like my new host family. Tonight we had squid and tofu! The squid were whole and let me tell you, squid eyes are more bitter than one would expect (crunchier as well)! As of last night, I am officially in love with Hina-chan, the resident three-year-old, and I think I get along well with Okaasan (mom) and Otousan (dad). Otousan has a tendency to joke and laugh a lot--I wish I could understand his jokes!

But already, I have made a mistake--I got off on the wrong bus stop...half an hour away from my host family...in the pouring rain...in the dark. I walked a good quarter mile before I realized that the scenery was very different than what I was looking for... And then, thankfully, I called Okaasan and she came and drove me home!

Today was also the first day of classes! They look pretty challenging, but I'm stepping up to the plate! RAWR! I am the studying champ~! Ha ha. But it's already seeming to be a great start to the semester.

I should probably be in bed now, so I'm going to cut this short, but I'm good, I'm okay...I'm falling asleep at the keyboard.

G'night!

Food In Japan - Part One: Presentation

Some anthropologists can wax on for ages about how food reflects and affects a culture. I have this to say: the food here is as delicious as it is beautiful.

I was in the lucky category, last semester, of getting a host mother who made me a boxed lunch, called an obento or bento, every day for lunch as well as making snacks for me when I went out with friends. 

 

In addition to lunches, she served me beautifully arranged breakfasts and dinners.

In Japan, presentation is everything. That’s why everything is wrapped—be it presents, groceries, or even words—wrapped in the most annoying conjugation ever called keigo. It goes to apply then, that food is treated in the same way.

 

Okaasan let me assist her with cooking sometimes. Usually that meant I would be cutting garnish, but sometimes I got to chop vegetables as well. Once, and only once, did she allow me to attempt to place food on the plate in a decorative manner. 

Cutting apple bunnies!

She was polite about it, but she was horrified by how I placed cold foods near cooked foods and a assortment of other thing that I cannot even begin to contemplate because I am not well-versed in the way of Japanese arrangement.

I decorated this...

One organizational presentation trick I have observed, though, is what I call “the mountain.” The mountain is where everything is piled on top of each other—like a mountain. I use this term after Okaasan told me to “pile everything on top, like a mountain.” This technique doesn’t just apply to food presentation, though. I’ve seen it used for mixing okonomiyaki batter and frying rice.

See all the mountains?

In other cultures as well, presentation is very important to how food is served. But I see a dedication in Japan that I have not seen in my past experiences.

I am also in awe of how the food in their fast food conveyer belt sushi restaurants looks like the pictures, even though it's fast food!

Setsubun

It’s Setsubun!

But what is Setsubun, you may ask, and why are you celebrating it?

Setsubun is the celebration of the changing of the seasons—from winter to spring. Of course, this is according to the lunar calendar and not the weather outside. February is supposed to be the coldest season in Kansai, so I’m bundling up!

During setsubun, people dress up as oni (devils) and have beans thrown at them while children shout 『鬼は外、福は内！』a traditional phrase that translates, “Devils out, good luck in!” as the devils are drummed out of the house.

To celebrate, the whole dorm got together and folded paper boxes which we then filled with peanuts. Traditionally, soybeans are used but to save money, we used peanuts which we then ate after. It was really fun. One of the oni took our RA as hostage—though that did not stop the flow of peanuts. They got everywhere. 

Oh no! An oni!

HE'S GOT MI-CHAN!

A little blurry, but the best photo I've got of the peanut fury!

After that, I went and hung out with Paulina and she did my nails. Aren’t they pretty?!

New Family!

I found out who my new family is!

I have an Okaasan, an Otousan, and a little sister who's three years old! I'm meeting them on Sunday, but I can barely wait!